Shooting a basketball is a skill. Whether or not a player can improve his or her shooting ability is determined to a large extent by whether or not the correct shooting techniques and fundamentals are learned and practiced. Too often, however, younger basketball players who are naturally shorter and weaker than older players develop incorrect shooting habits because they find it easier to reach the basket by using techniques which are fundamentally unsound. For example, it is not unusual for younger players to improperly use their arms and back when shooting a basketball since they find it more natural than using the proper technique with which they are less familiar. However, as a result, many young basketball players develop improper shooting techniques which impede them from improving their shooting ability as they get older.
Various aids have been developed to train basketball players to use proper shooting techniques. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,685 discloses a basketball training aid which comprises a vest worn by the player with a curved guide bar attached to an elbow sleeve. The player places his or her arm in the sleeve and the curved guide bar simulates the path that a basketball player's arm travels when taking a shot. However, the training aid is bulky and cumbersome to wear. Moreover, the aid is ineffective in teaching the basketball player the correct technique for proper release of a ball at the end of a shot which is an important aspect of shooting technique.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,547 discloses a frame with a basketball rotatably attached to the end of the frame. The frame is designed to be attached to the forearm of a basketball player. The basketball player rotates the basketball with the tip of his or her fingers to acclimate himself or herself with the feeling of shooting a basketball. This device, however, must be worn on the player's arm and the weight of the device can affect a player's shot. Iii addition, the device does not allow a player to execute the critical release of the ball as the ball is fixed to the frame.
Accordingly, there is a need for a new and improved basketball training aid for improving a basketball player's shooting technique.